"I really don't want to hear what you have to say right now." You spoke, a sense of anger in your tone as you fiddled with your door keys. You gazed to the side of the porch to see droplets of rain beginning to pour.
"Evangeline, please," he replied urgently, hurrying up the steps to reach you. "We need to talk about this."
"I don't want to talk to you right now," you exclaimed, your patience boiling over. You kept trying to unlock the door, but it stubbornly refused to budge, adding to your growing frustration. Harvey gently took the keys out of your hand and twisted the handle and with the little effort it opened. You stared at the open door for a moment, feeling a mix of relief and annoyance. "Of course," you muttered under your breath, half-amused by the irony of the situation.
Harvey turned to you, his body towering above yours. His eyes were sunken and sad. "I care about you, and I won't let you shut me out like this." Harvey said firmly, his eyes reflecting his own inner turmoil.
"Isabella won't shut you out, will she?" You retorted, feeling the pain and jealousy surge through you once more.
"That's not what this is about," Harvey replied, his voice tinged with frustration. "Isabella and I are just friends, nothing more. You know that." Harvey sighed, his hands in his coat pockets. "Friends?" you scoffed, the tears finally escaping your eyes. "It didn't look like just friends to me."
"I pushed her away, Evangeline," Harvey said, his voice softening. "I told her that I care about someone else, and that someone is you."
You looked at him, the pain and anger in your eyes beginning to waver. "But why were you there? By the lake?" Your mind running with endless possibilities. The rain was splashing onto the porch decking, bouncing off and gradually soaking you and Harvey. The icy wet was cold, but the atmosphere between the two of you was much, much colder.
"To tell her that I wasn't interested and her advances needed to stop. I figured it would be best if we went somewhere quiet to discuss it, I wasn't sure how she would react and I didn't want people to overhear and make judgements." He explained, his hand brushing against yours. "I guess that wasn't the best idea was it?" He sighed, looking down at the floor below.
"No, it wasn't." You replied, the anger dying down within you. Suddenly several more questions arose in your head. "But why didn't you tell me about it beforehand?" you asked, your voice tinged with a hint of hurt. "I mean, I trust you, but finding you both together like that... It caught me off guard."
Harvey sighed, his hand now gently cupping yours. "I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily," he admitted. "I thought I could handle the situation on my own, and it was a mistake not to include you in the process. I should have been more transparent with you."
You looked into his eyes, searching for any signs of deception, but all you saw was remorse and regret. "I need you to trust me, Evangeline," he said in desperation. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, and I promise to be more open with you from now on. I'll send Isabella back to the city to continue her training, she's pushed her luck day after day, but she's had her final chance now."
You internally sighed a big sigh of relief knowing that Isabella would soon be out of the Valley. This had very much brought out the worst in you, and you knew it all too well.
"Please don't hurt me, I don't deserve it." You mumbled, your voice shaking with a growing fear. Love had left you bitter in your previous relationship, you didn't want to feel worse now that you had finally begun to open up to someone again.
"If anyone on this goddamn planet deserves the best, it's you, and I promise I will never hurt you again." He reassured, his golden brown hair reflecting the evening sun, with his eyes fixed to yours and his head slightly tilted. You read his face like a book. You noticed his glasses slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose, so you gently pushed them back up, your hand soft and reassuring.
Suddenly, as if compelled by the intensity of the moment, he reached for your hands too, his touch warm and comforting. He held you close, his eyes searching yours for any sign of doubt. "Evangeline," he began, his voice steady yet filled with emotion, "I know I haven't always been perfect. I've made mistakes, and I'm truly sorry for any pain I've caused you."
Your heart raced as his fingers gently intertwined with yours, a mixture of apprehension and hope flooding your senses. "I'm pretty new to this," He chuckled, amused by his own relationship misconceptions. "and- and a relationship is hard, there are obstacles." Harvey sighed, glancing down at your rosy cheeks in the cusp of his hand. You glanced down at the floor, slightly deflated. "But you are worth all of that dumb stuff, and more, I guess that's what I'm trying to say." He giggled, his words flowing endlessly but not smoothly, like a leaking faucet. You giggled along with him, feeling as if you were in a romcom as the rain continued to pour around the two of you, your clothes saturated in water.
"Every day I spend with you, I see the incredible person you are," he continued, his voice soft but unwavering. "You've changed this lonely small town doctor for the better, farmer." You let out a weak smile upon hearing that. Glancing up, you saw that his eyes held a vulnerability you had never seen before, a glimpse into the depth of his feelings. With each word he spoke, the weight of his emotions became more evident, and your heart began to swell.
"You don't know the meaning of good behaviour when you are drunk, and sober... and it scares me," He began, "you're stubborn and fearless, and that also scares me," Harvey continued, his words choking, your eyebrows raised in response, "You don't even listen to the advice I give you as your doctor-" He paused, looking for a better sentence to follow the words he had just spewed.
"And that just makes me want you even more, I love your independent care free wild child side..." He recovered flawlessly, leaving you with a beaming smile you were struggling to hide. "What I'm trying to say is, I love that you are that way." He beamed quietly, his articulation betraying him.
"I love you, Evangeline," he confessed, his voice laced with a mixture of nervousness and devotion.
You felt your body freeze in shock.
"Harvey loves me...?"